Speech #1090048633

ID Act. by contrast. directs that an alien who provides funds or other material support to a terrorist is inadmissible and deportable if he knew or reasonably should have known that he was giving to a terrorist organization. Finally. the REAL ID Act provides an important component to the physical security of the United States. In 1996. Congress mandated the building of a 14mile border fence inland from the Mexican border in the San Diego area. The goal was to curb illegal entries into the most heavily trafficked corner of the United States and to guarantee security at the U.S. naval base in San Diego. More than 8 years later. that fence is still not completed. in large part because the construction is tied up in litigation. In order to facilitate the construction of this important security perimeter. the act waives all Federal laws necessary to ensure the expeditious completion of this structure. Immigration as a security issue was also the subject of portions of the Homeland Security Authorization Act for fiscal year 2006. The act fully funded the hiring and training of some 2.000 border patrol agents. It also clarifies the existing authorities of State and local law enforcement personnel to apprehend. detain. remove. and transport illegal aliens in the routine course of their duty. Further. it buttresses up that policy determination that local police have the right to help enforce U.S. immigration laws by appropriating $40 million in training funds for these same municipal authorities. These funds are available to reimburse those communities that choose to send officers to the Department of Homeland Security programs run by ICE. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. designed to train and certify these officers in the enforcement of Federal immigration laws. Having officers trained in this way can only work to the detriment of a wouldbe terrorist detained as a result of his committing a crime unrelated to national security. As I have described. the Homeland Security Act has a strong border security component. but so does the homeland appropriation bill. The appropriation bill provides $19.4 billion for border protection. immigration enforcement. and related activities. an increase of $1.9 billion over fiscal year 2005 enacted levels and $285 million over the Presidents budget request. These funds support a robust revitalization of immigration enforcement efforts. both along our borders and within the interior of the Nation. Specific funding includes. but is not limited to. $3.2 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. providing an additional 150 criminal investigators and 200 immigration enforcement agents. $61 million for border security technology. including surveillance and unmanned aerial vehicles. $20 million for replacement border patrol aircraft. $690 million to fund 3.870 beds to house illegal immigrants detained in U.S. facilities. $119 million to fund fugitive operations teams. and $211 million for transportation and removal of undocumented aliens. All these measures I have previously described are designed to enforce immigration laws. but we must also remember that in doing so we are contributing to the preservation of our homeland security as well. By preventing access to this country by undocumented aliens. by removing those who are here illegally. and by training local police officers to help enforce immigration laws. we will increase the odds that a wouldbe terrorist seeking to enter our country will be stopped before he can wreak any acts of violence against our citizenry. Another comment I would like to make with respect to this whole issue of homeland security is this. We have heard from a number of speakers tonight about what the United States Congress is doing to make our homeland more safe and more secure.